Please join CHOC Children’s this November in voting YES on Proposition 4, the Children’s Hospital Bond of 2018.

Prop. 4 provides $1.5 billion over 15 years to support critical, life-saving care for California kids. California’s 13 regional children’s hospitals, including CHOC, provide specialized care to children and young adults who suffer from serious and life-threatening disease, regardless of the ability to pay. The bond would provide grants for construction, expansion, renovation and the latest medical equipment for our state’s children’s hospitals.

Prop. 4 has received numerous endorsements, including from the American Academy of Pediatrics, California. Encourage voters to support CHOC and vote YES on Prop. 4 on November 6.

Newborns with congenital heart disease are some of the most critical and fragile patients, says Dr. Amir Ashrafi, cardiac neonatologist at CHOC Children’s. To help address the needs of this complex patient population and their families, CHOC will once again be hosting NeoHeart: Cardiovascular Management of the Neonate. The conference will be held March 27-29, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach, and anticipated to attract over 650 attendees, from both across the country and internationally.

“It is imperative that physicians, nurses, and all front-line providers work closely together to give these babies the best chance at success” Dr. Ashrafi explains.

The dynamic, TED-style talk conference will emphasize cutting-edge science, innovations in medical care, controversies in management, as well as the importance of eliminating silos and creating an all-inclusive team which includes the families of neonatal patients. Physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, fellows, residents, and other allied health professionals who specialize in neonatology, pediatric cardiology, pediatric intensive care, and cardiothoracic surgery are invited to attend.

Given the remarkable success of NeoHeart in previous years, Dr. Ashrafi, Dr. John Cleary, neonatologist at CHOC and colleagues from around the world launched the first international Neonatal Heart Society. The group works closely with other professional organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), World Congress of Cardiology, and Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society to advocate for newborns with congenital heart disease and hemodynamic instabilities.

An upcoming conference hosted by CHOC Children’s will highlight the impact of diet on the human microbiome, food allergies, and neonatal and surgical nutrition, among other critical topics for infants and toddlers. We spoke to Caroline Steele, director, clinical nutrition and lactation services at CHOC Children’s about what participants can expect at this event:

A: I am excited about bringing together such an impressive slate of speakers from a variety of disciplines. We have many nationally known speakers presenting their areas of expertise including Dr. Josef Neu, professor of pediatrics, division of neonatology at University of Florida Health, as our keynote speaker discussing the microbiome and having presentations from four of the authors from the definitive publication on handling of infant feedings within the hospital setting. The opportunity for attendees from all over the country and from a variety of disciplines to network and share best practices is also going to be a highlight of this conference.

Q: What can attendees expect to learn about infant and toddler feeding?

A: Participants will take away specific tactics for setting up a new centralized human milk and formula preparation room or specific guidelines surrounding allergies from use of the elimination diet for breastfeeding to timing and content of complementary foods to reduce risk of allergies, to the management of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) and eosinophilic esophagitis.

Q: What other topic are you looking forward to at this conference?

A: I am looking forward to learning more about the physical and tactile aspects of eating such as what can be done from a pre-feeding standpoint for infants who will have a prolonged NPO status to help promote oral feeding when the time comes or how to prevent picky eating from developing into problem feeding.

Two CHOC Children’s pediatric neurology experts will speak at an upcoming conference featuring the latest education on hydrocephalus.

Including internationally recognized medical professionals and researchers, HA Connect – National Conference on Hydrocephalus, held June 28-30 in Newport Beach, will address the medical, educational and social complexities of living with hydrocephalus through interactive discussions, workshops and hands-on exhibits. Over 500 people are expected to attend the international conference.

Dr. Michael Muhonen

Dr. Michael Muhonen, board-certified neurosurgeon, division chief of neurosurgery and medical director, CHOC Neuroscience Institute, will present a lecture on the anatomy of the brain, with a focus on the cerebral ventricles, cerebral spinal fluid physiology and hydrocephalus.

On the second day of the conference, Dr. Muhonen and Dr. Anjalee Galion, board-certified pediatric neurologist and associate director of the CHOC Sleep Lab, will present on headaches and current management. Their lectures will be specifically focused on the etilogy and treatment of headaches in patients with hydrocephalus, pseudotumor cerebrii, and other brain pathology.

Dr. Anjalee Galion

All CHOC professionals and employees are invited to attend. The CHOC Neuroscience Institute is offering assistance with the cost of registration. For details, email Rhonda Long, director, CHOC Neuroscience Institute at rlong@choc.org.

CHOC Children’s 2018 Physician Engagement Survey will be held April 23 – May 21. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to provide us with your candid feedback, which will allow CHOC to further improve our programs and services to better meet your and your patients’ needs.

In appreciation of completing the survey, all participants will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win one of the following prizes: gift card to The Resort at Pelican Hill; gift card to The Ritz-Carlton; gift card to Mastro’s Restaurants; and gift card to Amazon. One winner will be selected each week of the survey.

Please look for an email with your personal link to the survey from Press Ganey, who is conducting the survey on behalf of CHOC.

Should you have any questions, please contact Leslie Castelo, director, business development at CHOC, at 714-509-4329 or lcastelo@choc.org.